The fan who was on the other end of the shove turned out to be Jeff Orr, a frequent attendant of Red Raiders games, who has been called "Texas Tech's number one fan." In addition to voluntarily agreeing to not attend any more home games this season, Orr issued an apology to Smart, via TexasTech.com:

"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere apologies to Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, Tubby Smith and the Texas Tech Men's Basketball program. My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech - a university I love dearly. I regret calling Mr. Smart a "piece of crap" but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind. Additionally, I would like to offer my apologies to Texas Tech fans that have been embarrassed by the attention this incident has created."

Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford also talked about the suspension on Sunday. He backed up his player, but he also made a rather ominous statement about Smart's punishment, via SportsCenter and Goodman:

"I love Marcus Smart for the person that he is. I know this is going to make him a better person." - Oklahoma St. Head Coach Travis Ford

What do you think of the 3-game suspension?

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What do you think of the 3-game suspension?

Just right

44.9%

Too harsh

36.5%

Too lenient

18.6%

Total votes: 19,270

The talented guard shocked the country when he passed up a sure-fire lottery selection in last year's draft to return to Stillwater, but a rough January and February stretch has delivered a major hit to his stock.

While it would seem an incident like this would only further send that stock into a plummet, not everyone seems as concerned.

Smart discussed the incident on Wednesday, Feb. 19 with ESPN:

Video courtesy of ESPN.com

One scout, via SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria, is more concerned with Smart's play on the court, while ESPN's Fran Fraschilla noted that this isn't the norm for the standout sophomore:

NBA GM on Smart: 'His play & inability to lead his team to wins is affecting his stock. Not pushing some illiterate drunk redneck.'

Ford's squad started the season 15-2 but has suddenly dropped five of its last six. With the Cowboys' three games without Smart coming at Texas, vs. Oklahoma and at Baylor, they could easily drop to 16-10 and 4-9 in the Big 12 when he returns, which coincidentally enough, will be Feb. 22 against none other than Texas Tech.

It's too early to write off the Cowboys. They have way too much talent and there is still plenty of time in a stacked conference to further bolster their resume. But if things continue to trend in this direction, Smart's last chance at winning over NBA scouts—which is now more important than ever—may come in the NIT.